“Well isn’t that just fan-fucking-tastic!”Syndra groaned, then flopped down herself on the couch.
“So Liz is really dead?” Allie asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Yeah, really really,” Syndra said. “She and this blond Stepford wife looking chick were arguing about Liz blowing her cover. I guess the other woman decided Liz was a liability. Walked up to her and stabbed her in the chest, then dragged her body into a crawl space.”
“Wait…where was this?” Allie asked, realizing she needed to tell the police where they could find Liz.
“At the theater.”
“It can’t be Syn,” Allie said shaking her head. “Everyone searched there.”
“It’s a back room. It was blocked off years ago and the only way in is behind what looks like a wall,” Syndra said.
“Like a secret room?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Syn shrugged. “They were talking about the group meeting there.”
“The new coven? When?” Allie asked eagerly.
“Tonight. Oh I get it you’re going to tell the task force so they can ambush everybody. I like it. Yeah, they said today, this afternoon at 5. At the theater in the secret room.”
Allie nodded, trying to hold onto all of this in the shifting dreamscape. “Okay, tell me exactly where…”
She came up out of the dream like a fish jumping out of water. She startled Jess awake as she sat up, gasping, and he quickly moved to support her, although she found that she was feeling better already than she had been when she’d gone to sleep. It was amazing how quickly she was healing now that she wasn’t fighting against her own nature but instead allowing herself to fully pull from Jess…and Bleidd, even if he was avoiding her like a plague victim.
“Allie, what is it?” Jess asked, concern coloring his words.
“I dreamed of Syndra again,” Allie said, and then, realizing they were alone in the room. “Where’s Bleidd?”
“Sleeping in his own room,” Jess answered.
Allie felt a surge of annoyance followed by embarrassment. Of course he was in his own room. This wasn’t the hospital anymore and he had no reason to assume I wanted him with me at home. She shifted unhappily in the bed, Jess’s arms warm around her body, thinking and I have no reason to assume he wants to be here with me now either. Even if he did kiss me earlier. He also took off. And when I got back from running off to yell at an old woman no one was home. I have no idea when he got back or where he’s been or what he’s been doing…except that I know he hasn’t been sleeping with anyone else because thanks to me he can’t. If I were him I’d be pretty pissed about that. Maybe the last thing he wants is to be around me right now…
“Allie?” Jess asked, his voice soft.
She pushed away her recriminations about the situation with Bleidd for the moment and tried to focus on the issue at hand. “Liz is dead. Syndra was following her and saw her being killed.”
“Truly?” Jess asked, eyes wide. She could feel his relief and happiness at the news and she tried to ignore that as well.
“Yes. Stabbed, Syndra said,” Allie said. “At the theater. There’s a secret backroom blocked off from everything else and that’s where Liz was hiding.”
“I am sorry for your loss, my heart,” Jess said. “I know her death grieves you.”
“It does, but I can’t deal with that right now. What matters is that Syndra overhead them planning a meeting of the dark coven today, this afternoon, at the same place.”
Jess sat up quickly. “Indeed? And you know the time and exact location?”
“Yes, I do,” Allie said, then as she thought more about what Liz had said on the phone and something Syndra had said about the woman who had stabbed her. “And I think…I think I know who someone else in the group is.”
“How?” Jess asked.
“Things that Liz and Syndra both were saying, if you add them together…I think someone else in the group, maybe even someone up in their hierarchy is Liz’s friend Candice,” Allie said. “I’m not sure if knowing that helps you any.”
“It may. Although likely setting an ambush at the theater will be more effective than tracking down individuals,” Jess said thoughtfully. “Let me contact Zarethyn and inform him of these developments and we will decide how best to proceed.”
“Okay,” Allie agreed. She hesitated as he slid out of the bed and dressed, knowing that she needed to tell him about what she had learned about herself, but afraid of how he might react. “Jess?”
“Yes my love?” his voice was distracted and she lost her nerve.
“Never mind. It can wait,” she said, feeling like a coward.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I will be back later. I do not think you should open your store today – stay home and rest one more day instead.”
She found herself nodding in mute agreement, and he smiled as he turned to leave. Glancing at the clock she realized it was still early, just past 6 a.m. and sighing she decided to try to get some more sleep. She’d worry about everything later. “Jess?”
“Yes?”
“If you see Bleidd,” she said slowly, “could you just make sure he’s okay?”
Jess tilted his head, curious. “Certainly. Are you worried about him?”
“I’m worried he’s upset…about something,” she mumbled. “If you see him just, if you could just talk to him. Try to make him feel better?”
“If it pleases you,” Jess agreed. “I have grown fond of him as well and I will see if I can cheer him up.”
There was something in the way he said that last that made Allie pause. If she didn’t know better she’d have thought it had a sexual overtone to it. She smiled slightly at Jess and cuddled back into the blankets. No she thought to herself. I’m imagining things. I just realized they can’t sleep with anyone but me, so why would I think Jess and Bleidd would hook up? Not that it was at all odd from an elven perspective, given the lack of sexual preference among elves, and Allie had to admit a small prurient part of herself enjoyed the idea. But she might as well imagine Jason suddenly developing an interest in her….She rolled over and went back to sleep, still thinking of her two love interests being interested in each other.
*****************************
Jessilaen moved silently down the stairs of the house, keenly aware of the absence of Allie’s cousin. He had always felt a vague sense of hostility while he had been staying here, but that was gone now, as if the house itself had relaxed. As much as he knew it hurt Allie to have lost her blood-kin he was pleased that the woman was dead, and his hands were clean of her blood. Allie would get over the loss in time with the support of people who truly valued her and cared about her and she would come to see how treacherous her cousin had truly been.
As he moved down the first floor hallway the door to Bleidd’s room opened and the former Outcast stepped out. Jess stopped, waiting to see what the other elf would do.
“Is everything alright?” Bleidd asked, his voice low.
“Should it not be?” Jess asked.
“Don’t play word games with me commander,” the other elf said sharply. He looked as if he had not slept well, or at all. “Is she okay? I felt something, I thought perhaps she had a nightmare…”
His voice trailed off and he looked uncertain; Jess was sympathetic, even if he did not understand why the other elf was avoiding the woman they all knew he loved. “She is fine. She dreamed of Syndra again, if indeed it was a dream at all. Her friend told her that her cousin had been killed and that the new coven was set to meet at the theater later today.”
Bleidd’s eyes reflexively looked up towards Allie’s room, his expression unreadable. “She must be very upset by this news.”
Jess reached out carefully to the other elf’s mind, making sure he blocked Allie out so that she could rest. “Why do you not go to her? I must inform the Outpost of what I’ve learned and arrange an ambush of the coven, but she would welcome your company.”
Bleidd twitched at the words,
although Jessilaen was unsure if it was the manner of speech or the message itself that caused the reaction. His response was slow as he tried to imitate what Jess had done to speak to him. He tried to change the subject “Speaking of ambushes, I have found where the Dark court agent will be tonight.”
“That is excellent news. If luck is with us we will see the one who harmed her so grievously dead before another day has dawned.”
Bleidd looked at the Guard commander in shock and was rewarded with a wolfish smile. “If I find him I will surely kill him for what he did to her. I appreciate that you have kept your word and not done so yourself, as I do not doubt you feel the same.”
Bleidd nodded stiffly. “I would be more than happy to see that one dead, yes.”
Jess paused and then, “Why do you not go to her now?”
“I do not assume she would be so pleased to find me in her bed when she clearly prefers you.”
That is certainly a change in attitude Jess thought to himself, puzzled. Then to Bleidd, “She asked for you after she woke. She was very insistent in the hospital that you stay with her. And you did give her your word that you would stay until she did not want you to stay any longer.”
Bleidd looked away, the muscles in his jaw working. “And this does not bother you commander?”
Jess tilted his head, genuinely puzzled by this behavior. “Call me Jess, as she does. And why should it bother me? It’s not as if she loves or desires me any less. Nor as if she is spreading her legs for everyone she meets. You are an exception, but an understandable one.”
Now Bleidd looked as confused as Jess felt. “She is contracted to marry you and even if she were not, she prefers only one lover, as have you since you have been with her. It seems that being bonded to her means she is the only one either of us can be with, and since she has chosen you I need to accept the situation for what it is.”
Jess leaned forward placing his hands on Bleidd’s shoulders. “Do not be so certain that she does not want both of us, and is not willing to take a more elven approach to this. She is young, as you yourself have said, and her upbringing was very human. Monogamy is normal to her, but she is also elven and that is part of her heritage too. Compromise is always a possibility. And as to the marriage contract, such situations have been arraigned before.”
Bleidd frowned, unsure where this sudden turn had come from. “Why the change…Jess? Not so long ago you seemed perfectly willing to harm anyone who got too close to her. Now suddenly the territoriality is gone and you are willing to share? I find that hard to credit.”
“If it were anyone else I would still not allow it, nor would she want it. But she loves you. That is not the same as lust. The more I understand her the more I see that love is a force that drives her and that she needs both of us in her life. To lose either would be a true loss, especially now that she has created this bond between us. Between all of us.” Jess thought to him, knowing that it was true. Bleidd frowned but his expression was more thoughtful than angry. Jess hesitated for a moment, debating the amount of time he could spare before he must report what he had learned. The obvious unhappiness and hint of vulnerability around the other elf decided him. “And Bleidd? She is not the only person we can feel desire for.”
He leaned forward and kissed the other elf, gently at first and then when he felt Bleidd’s responsiveness with more force. Bleidd’s hands wrapped around his waist, pulling their bodies close, and then tugging him gently back towards his room. Jess followed without any further urging.
***************************
Allie woke for the second time that day to sunlight on her face. She squinted and rolled over, then realized if the sun was up high enough to be in her face it had to be after 9. Yawning she threw back the covers and rolled out of bed, glad that she was feeling better today, if not entirely well yet. Already the ordeal of the poisoning was starting to fade into an unpleasant memory, with many of the details lost to pain or fevers. She was surprised though by how much better she was feeling, almost as good as she would have felt if she’d taken strong energy from Jess. Or, she supposed Bleidd. But there’d been none of that going on, unless she counted a very intense dream she’d had before waking up about Jess and Bleidd sleeping together. She hadn’t thought her imagination was that good, honestly, but she’d enjoyed the dream. If only they could get along that well in real life.
She dressed as quickly as she could, still mindful of the dull ache that permeated her body and then headed downstairs to see who else was home. If she remembered correctly Jason was on first shift today and should be at work, but she doubted Jess had gone very far. It was increasingly difficult to resist the temptation to read Bleidd’s mind to find out where he was and why he seemed to be avoiding her, but she managed not to give in by focusing on the hope that he might be in the kitchen.
Following the smell of coffee she found Shawn washing dishes and Jess sitting at the table.
“Morning Shawn,”
“Good morning Allie,” Shawn replied. She watched him for a minute, waiting to see if he’d say anything else, but he seemed nervous. Understandable with everything going on, so Allie left him alone. She knew he was probably worried about the state of their living arrangements, since the house was in Liz’s name and Liz was currently – as far as he knew – fleeing the police and wanted for attempted murder. It didn’t seem right to tell him now that Liz was dead and that the house would go to Allie, so she said nothing. He would find out soon enough anyway.
She sat down at the table, contemplating breakfast before deciding to wait for lunch. “Hi Jess,”
He gave her an odd look. “Good morning my love. How are you feeling?”
“Oh, well, still kind of achy but better,” she said, then reluctantly, “Is Bleidd around?”
Jess glanced at Shawn and switched to speaking Elvish. “He is sleeping.”
“Oh. Good,” she mumbled back in the same language, frowning at the table.
“Is something wrong?”
“What?” she said, distracted and trying to decide if she should wait to talk to them together or just tell him what she’d learned from Miss Amelia now. “No, nothing.”
“Allie,” Jess said, in what she was starting to think of as his stop-being-stupid voice, “something is obviously bothering you. If you are worried about Bleidd you can tell me, I will not be upset by your concern.”
“Well he does seem to be avoiding me,” she said. “And I guess I do feel bad about, the ummm, situation.”
“It may take him time to adjust to the mental bonding but you should not feel bad about that. You might find if you talked to him that he does not mind it so much. And I doubt he is avoiding you, but just as you feel bad about what you feel you have done to him he may worry that you do not want him in the way he wants you.”
“It’s not what I think I might have done it’s what I know I have done.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
“I…ummm. I kind of accidently was in his head a bit yesterday and there was this woman he wanted to sleep with but he couldn’t. I mean literally couldn’t,” she said feeling her cheeks coloring. “And - well how can I not feel bad about that? If he can’t be with anyone else but me, that’s my fault. I did that.”
“Ahhh,” Jess said slowly. “You need to talk to him Allie. With elves it is almost reflex to take any opportunity to indulge in a pleasurable activity, especially sex. You may find that he was more interested in the activity than the person.”
“I’m not – I mean it’s not that I’m jealous. Really. I mean maybe a little bit, but not really. I know he sleeps with other people, he always has as long as I’ve known him. But now he can’t. And I just…is he angry about that? Is that why he’s avoiding me?”
“Allie,” Jess sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Talk to him. And…he can be with someone besides you, just not random strangers.”
“He can…” she had a sudden flash o
f insight, a bit of what she’d thought was a dream from earlier flash through her mind and she could feel herself blushing harder. “Oh. Oh. Right. You…and…right. I thought I was dreaming that.”
“You dreamt it?”
“Obviously not a dream,” she said, mortified that she’d eavesdropped on something so personal, however unintentional it had been. And now I know why I feel even better this morning she thought apparently I can pull from both of them when they are feeling something intense like that even when it’s not with me. “Probably the emotions drew me, even in my sleep, through the bond…”
Jess was watching her closely. “Does it upset you? To know that I bedded him?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I mean, I don’t know. I never thought there was any possibility of that happening. You two never seemed to like each other much – and please don’t tell me how with elves you don’t have to like the other person. That won’t make me feel any better. Or that you just did it out of reflex because the opportunity was there.”
He smiled, reaching out to take her hand, “My love, I have come to admire him and I think I see, at least in some small measure, what it is you love in him. And he is an attractive person. But I did it because he needed the comfort of it and for whatever reason he will not seek you out right now.”
“Maybe he is angry at me,” she said despondently, still trying to process that the two people she loved had slept together. She wasn’t angry at either of them – how could she be angry at Jess for doing something she herself had done and wanted to do again? - but she did feel frustrated. She couldn’t get Bleidd to stay in the same room with her and yet he was jumping into bed with Jess. And she had started to take for granted that Jess didn’t want to be with anyone else but her, and she was surprised by how insecure she suddenly felt at the idea of him going back to a more elven approach, even though she knew he could not be with anyone else except her. And apparently Bleidd. Part of her even thought she should be grateful that in bonding all three of them together she had unintentionally given them the option of each other, that all of their sexual satisfaction didn’t rest solely with her. But she couldn’t quite shake the fear that having that option they would decide they didn’t need her…
Into the Twilight: a Between the Worlds Novel Page 29